MURDERED: The Watts Family

[00:00] Hi, Crime Junkies, it's Britt, and I have big news. One of my favorite seasonal shows, CounterClock, is back with a brand new season, and it is wild. Host Delia D'Ambra is digging into the 2008 Lane Bryant murders. I mean, this isn't just a recap. It is a reinvestigation. She's talking to law enforcement, people from the community, even sources who have never spoken publicly until now. And you know I love a show that asks all the questions. Listen to CounterClock Season 8 now, wherever you get your podcasts. [00:31] Hi, Crime Junkies. I'm Ashley Flowers. And I'm Britt. You good, girl? No, I hate this week so much. Researching the case that we're doing this week absolutely sucked for me. Okay, but we did do it for a reason. Yeah, okay, so we're doing the Watts family, and you freaking Crime Junkies have been sending me links to this case since it exploded onto the headlines in August. Yeah, did I tell you I counted how many times it got suggested just in our form? [01:00] over 35 times people submitted it to our website. And that's not even counting the Facebook messages, the Twitter messages, the Instagram messages. I was just going to say the amount that people actually like go through the proper channels to request a case is very slim. Most of them are like DMs on Facebook and Instagram, but it has been nonstop for four months and no lie, as much as people sent it to me, I didn't look into this case at all. Like I knew the very bare minimum about it.

[01:30] because I knew it was an awful case. And to be fair, we were also researching... [01:36] other cases so we could cover them here. Well, yeah, and that's what I'm saying. All I do is talk about awful cases every week. So I wasn't ready to dive in. But I thought, hey, since I'm [01:46] Everyone is requesting this. Maybe the crime junkies will actually want to hear about it. Maybe they know what will make for a good episode. But the more I researched, the less I wanted to tell this story. [01:58] It just, it sucked. And it's so sad and I'm bummed out. So get ready, everybody, to have your week ruined. [02:06] Merry Christmas, I guess. Yeah. Merry Christmas, crime junkies. You asked for it. [02:11] Thank you. [02:42] This story is super recent, probably the most recent story we've ever covered because it took place over this summer and just came to a conclusion in November of 2018. Like one month ago from the time that we're recording. This all took place here in the U.S. in the state of Colorado where the Watts family resided in their $400,000 home. I feel like we begin so many stories this way, but from the outside...

[03:11] they looked like they had it all. And I think this goes back to our rule that you never really know anyone ever. But I think we also need a new rule. [03:21] Social media lies. [03:23] So there's Chris Watts, his wife Shanann Watts, and their two young daughters, Bella, who's four and Cece, who's three. [03:32] If you were to look at Shanann's Facebook, you would think that they had everything. A happy marriage, a beautiful home, beautiful kids, successful careers. Chris in the oil industry and Shanann in a multi-level marketing company. And her Instagram and Facebook showed them traveling all over together, taking trips to San Diego and Vegas and Puerto Vallarta. It seemed idyllic. [03:55] Here is Shanann back in 2018 talking about her husband. [04:00] And I got a friend request from Chris. I was in a really, really, really bad place. And I got a friend request from Chris on Facebook. And I was like, oh, what the heck, I'm never going to meet him. [04:15] Except, well, one thing led to another, and... [04:19] Eight years later, we have two kids, we live in Colorado, and he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. [04:27] You know, I think it's Shanann's social media that made this case so tragic for me. Their deaths aren't any worse than that of the Coleman family or the Longo family. But because there is so much of a social media presence for Shanann, I felt like as I researched this case, I got to know her. I got to know her kids. I knew their voices, their mannerisms, like the little things that made them smile.

[04:57] for me that someone would want to hurt them. So again, from the outside, everything is great. In 2018, Shanann finds out some great news. [05:09] She is pregnant with their third child. And again, because she has such a big social media presence, she records her telling Chris the news. She actually turns to the camera and shows that she's wearing a shirt that says, oops, we did it again. And in this video, Chris. [05:27] Chris walks into the room. [05:29] and then you can hear his reaction. [05:33] I like that shirt. [05:40] Thank you. [05:41] Really? [05:42] Really. [05:44] That's awesome. [05:46] Thank you. [05:48] Thank you. [05:50] So pink means that's just the test. I know they're just if the pink is gonna be girls. Oh [05:56] I don't know. [05:57] That's awesome. [06:01] Thank you. [06:03] Thank you. [06:05] Yes, sir. [06:06] Guess when you want to, it happens. [06:11] Interesting. Yeah. I feel like there's something in her that's a little bit nervous to tell him and maybe his reaction. Yeah. Like she definitely didn't like... [06:23] Which, like... [06:24] Thank you. [06:24] Neither of us have had this moment, but like... Nope. But you'd think she'd say something instead of just stand there, but I mean, maybe they've been talking about it for a long time and were like really trying. I don't know. It just seems...

[06:37] That's how Chris ends it. He says, I guess when you want it to happen... [06:40] It does. And then he just says, wow, so maybe they had been trying, maybe not. But did he really want it to happen? Yeah. [06:48] Because what the outside world didn't know is that their relationship was very strained. Just three years earlier, the couple had filed for bankruptcy because they were over $480,000 in debt. Whoa. Yeah, a lot of money. And the couple was drifting further and further apart. After that pregnancy announcement, Shanann and Chris's marital troubles were worsened. He wasn't abusive or violent, but he became very cold and distant toward her. [07:18] She actually texted a friend saying that she was angry and sad and sad. [07:23] scared at the idea of having a third baby with somebody who seemed like he had a [07:28] no interest in having another kid. He wouldn't even go with her to her ultrasound appointments. At the end of June, the same summer, Shanann took her girls on a trip back to North Carolina to visit family. She would spend the next six weeks there with her parents. While she was there, she confided a little in her mom about what was going on. She was buying self-help books for herself and for Chris. She would mail them to Chris and Chris would just throw them away. [07:58] messages back to Chris who was still in Colorado living what Shanann called the bachelor life. [08:04] And here's one of her text messages. Quote, I try to give you space, but while you're working and living the bachelor life, I'm carrying our third and fighting with our two kids daily, trying to work and make money. It's not hard texting love you and miss you. If you don't mean it, then I get it. But we need to talk. I keep looking at my phone all night and no response from you. Like, seriously, we didn't just start dating yesterday. We've been together eight years and have two and a half kids together.

[08:34] As the summer drew on, though, things did not get better for Shanann and Chris. After Shanann had gotten back from North Carolina, but just before she left for a work trip in Arizona, this would have been like August 7th or 8th, Shanann had texted a friend of hers. And she said, quote, Chris told me last night he's scared to death about this third baby and he's happy with just Bella and Celeste and he doesn't want another baby. [09:04] He's just scared. Everything will be fine once the baby comes. Right. Like maybe it's just like jitters to become a parent of three. Yeah. I mean, you're it's no longer Amanda Man. This is zone coverage. It can be scary. But Shanann replies back. No, he's changed and I don't know who he is. [09:22] In one of those texts, the friend kind of suggested that maybe Chris was having an affair. But Shanann Watts told the friend that she actually confronted Chris about this and he absolutely denied it. And I don't think Shanann even truly grasped the gravity of her own words. If she would have, I don't think she would have ever gone on that trip. I think she would have taken her kids away. [09:46] left their home and never looked back. But there was no way she could have seen what was coming. Shanann went to Arizona from August 10th to August 12th. And while she was gone, Chris was watching over the girls on his own. Shanann obviously had suspicions about her husband cheating on her. She admitted to a friend in a text message that she actually confronted Chris about it. We know that. So she was keeping an eye on her bank records and she was surprised

[10:16] $[redacted address] called the Lazy Dog Bar and Grill on Saturday night. When she asked Chris about this, he said that he had left the girls with a sitter and went to a Colorado Rockies game with some friends and then they all went out for dinner after and he got a salmon and beer, which is why it was expensive. But she even called him out and was like, this doesn't make sense. [10:46] the evening after Chris put the girls to bed that night he said Bella came out of her bed twice looking for her mom but she hadn't gotten back yet so Chris tucked Bella back into bed and he told her that she could see her mom when she woke up Bella all the while never knowing that that time wouldn't come for her. [11:07] Shanann ended up returning to Colorado in the very early morning hours of the 13th. A friend of Shanann's named Nicole Atkinson dropped her off at her home around 1 40 in the morning. And that would be the last time that anyone ever saw Shanann alive. The next morning was like any other to those around Chris. Chris went to work. He acted totally normal at work. No alarm bells [11:37] shenan's pregnancy maybe if he would have gone with her to any of those ultrasound appointments he would have known that she had an appointment that morning of the 13th and when she didn't show up to it it would set off alerts in the minds of her friends and it would ring a bell that chris could never unring

[11:57] That morning, the same friend, Nicole, who had dropped Shanann off just hours before, was really concerned when Shanann wasn't answering her text messages. More concerned when Shanann didn't show up for her ultrasound appointment. And even more when Shanann missed a business meeting. So by 1210 in the afternoon, Nicole went to Shanann's home. Nicole knocks. She rings the doorbell. But there's no answer. [12:25] No commotion in the house, even if Shanann slept in and missed her appointments and missed her meetings, she would be up and moving about with two young daughters. But the house was totally silent. Nicole knew something was wrong. She immediately called Chris and the Frederick Police Department, who dispatched an officer to do a welfare check by 1.40 in the afternoon. [12:47] after the police arrived Chris was not far behind them and he gave permission to the police to search his home which was void of Shanann and her two little girls [12:58] What was left behind, though? Shanann's purse? [13:01] Shanann's phone, her keys, and her car with the children's car seats still inside. [13:09] All of this was strange since Chris said that Shanann's plan was to take the girls on a play date that day. Had they left and maybe come back and all their stuff was in the house? [13:19] OR [13:20] Was it possible that they never left the house at all? [13:26] For decades, some cold cases have been reduced to files in a cabinet, but not anymore. I'm Ashley Flowers, and me and my team on the deck have been traveling across the country to report on these forgotten cases. And in some instances, it's resulted in these cases being solved after decades.

[13:45] Join me every Wednesday as we revive these stories one card at a time. Listen to the deck now. [13:52] wherever you get your podcasts. [13:55] When police searched the home, it wasn't what was left behind that was most disturbing. It's what was missing. [14:03] The bed sheets on Chris and Shanann's bed. It had been completely stripped and some of the sheets were found in their trash. Now, this is odd, but it's not criminal. [14:16] The next day on August 14th, the CBI, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, joins the case. This is the same day that Chris got in front of local news cameras and pled for his family's safe return. [14:30] I want them wherever they're at. I have no inclination of where they're at right now. I've exhausted every friend that I know of, and every friend that I have has called friends that... [14:43] Shanann has that maybe I didn't know about. [14:45] And it's just like... [14:47] It's like it has vanished. She's not [14:49] Like when I got home yesterday, it was like a ghost town. She wasn't here. [14:53] Kids weren't here. [14:55] I have no idea where they went. [14:57] and it doesn't, it's just earth shattering. I don't feel like this is even real right now. It's like a nightmare that I just can't wake up from. [15:05] It's a little hard to hear the reporter, but the news reporter asked, when did you learn that they weren't here? [15:11] I had texted her a few times and called her. I didn't get a response. That was a little off. Then her friend Nicole showed up about a little afternoon. I could see it on the doorbell camera. I was like, "Hey, what's going on?" She said, "I can't get a hold of Shanann."

[15:27] That's when I was just like, alright, something's not right. She's not answering the door. She said the car was here. It was like, [15:32] I gotta go home. [15:33] And we got here, got inside, and [15:36] Nobody was here. [15:38] Not nothing. [15:40] Here, the reporter asked, "I read that Shanann hadn't taken the girls to school. Was that unusual?" [15:46] Yeah, because Bella was going to start kindergarten next Monday, and they were just getting ready to start back again. [15:55] At this point, the reporter interjects, "You have a beautiful family. What is going through your mind when you think something could be wrong?" [16:03] I was trying to get home as fast as I can. I was blowing through stoplights. I was blowing through everything just trying to get home as fast as I can because none of this made sense. [16:11] Like, if she wasn't here, like, where did she go? [16:14] Like, once I got here, it was like, all right, [16:16] Who can I call? [16:18] Who do I know that she could be with right now if she went to a friend's house? [16:22] Where could she be staying and we went through everybody? I mean I [16:27] everything in my contact list and her [16:30] her friend's contact list and [16:32] nothing has come up. Everybody has said they haven't heard from her either. [16:36] I'm just hoping right now that she's somewhere safe. [16:41] and maybe she's just [16:43] She's there, but... [16:44] right now it's just like [16:46] If she's vanished, I want her back so bad. I want those kids back so bad. [16:51] Now here, the reporter makes a comment. He said, you know, your first thought has to be, where are they? You want them back. But your second thought is people think that you have something to do with this.

[17:02] Yeah, I mean, everybody's going to have their own opinion on anything like this. I just want the people to know that I want my family back. I want them safe. [17:11] and [17:12] I want them here. This house is not the same. [17:15] I mean, last night was traumatic. Last night was... [17:19] I can't really stay in this house again. [17:21] with nobody here. [17:23] and [17:24] Thank you. [17:24] Last night, I wanted that knock on the door. I wanted to see this kid just running, just... [17:30] barrel rush me and just give me a hug and knock me on the ground. [17:33] but [17:34] That didn't happen. [17:35] The reporter asked specifically Chris about the cameras and the locks in the house because everything seemed to have been locked and they don't have any idea what's on the cameras in the home. They have like a ring doorbell. [17:47] We have a camera there, the neighbor has a camera. Everything was checked out. [17:55] Do you have a camera you said? A doorbell. Only right there. The neighbor house went over there. Were all the doors around the house locked? The front door was locked. The garage door was unlocked, but that's normal for [18:09] Like, when she comes in the house, she leaves it unlocked just so she can come in and out just in case, you know, [18:13] to get in the garage door, but the back sliding door was locked as well. [18:17] And finally they asked, did you see your kids? Did you see your wife? [18:22] I had the kids over the weekend. Did you see your wife when she got home? She got home really late, about 2 a.m. from the airport when she got back from Arizona. [18:30] Did you wake up and say, you know? No. I saw her once you got in.

[18:34] But it was really quick. [18:35] just because it was 2 a.m. in the morning. But I saw the kids in the monitor before I left, and... [18:40] Thank you. [18:41] That was it. [18:43] Britt, from this whole interview, I know you had a chance to watch it, right? Yes, I did. Do you know what I find most interesting? And I don't know if it stuck out to you as well. [18:53] You haven't told me, and there's a couple things that stuck out. [18:56] But I'd love to hear your take on it. [18:58] Nothing that he said... [19:00] It's the fact that this is literally day one for his family, like one full day when his family's missing. And he isn't wearing a wedding ring. I didn't notice that. Yeah, I first thought like maybe he was one of the guys. It didn't like it wasn't part of his daily routine. But if you go back and watch old videos on Shanann's Facebook and Instagram and pictures, he's always wearing a ring. He's also always wearing this like bracelet. Shanann had lupus and he would wear this bracelet in support of that. [19:30] Livestrong type bracelet? I don't know exactly what it looked like, but it was like purple, I believe. Okay, so probably like a Livestrong type bracelet. Yeah, but day one, they're missing. The bracelet's not there. And his wedding ring is not there. You said he worked in the oil fields, though, right? He did. So he was at work the day before. It's possible that he had taken it off. Yeah, because like my dad was a construction worker. And he's like, I don't know. [19:54] basically never wore his ring unless my mom asked him to because they were going somewhere or doing something. Basically because it was like a safety precaution. No, I totally get that. And again, not saying that.

[20:04] He was like, oh, I killed my family by ring. It's just a weird thing that... [20:09] I was really surprised by it and it just like stuck out to me. Also, how loud was he gulping? [20:15] It was kind of loud. It was like a cartoon. It kind of tipped you off. It kind of tipped you off. It was very strange to me. It's how I feel like I sound when I drink on the podcast. Yes. So, Britt, I am sure... [20:28] you saw that your favorite statement analysis blog did a little blurb on Chris Watts. So do you want to dive into that a little? [20:35] So one of the first things that statementanalysis.com points out is... [20:41] Chris's statement saying, "I want my family back. I want that knock on the door. I want to see the kids. I just want them home so bad." And something that StatementAnalysis.com mentions is that those are probably pretty truthful statements. [20:56] Okay. When Chris says these things, he is realizing what he's done truly and the extent of it to some point and probably regrets that he killed his family and would like to have them back to... [21:09] not take back the action. [21:11] But stop the regret. [21:13] I find it really interesting that the whole time he's saying things like the house is empty. The house isn't the same. I don't like sleeping here. It's all very self-centered. Yeah, it's not like I miss them. He's talking about how, yeah, how it's he's lonely. Like, that's the emotion he's experiencing is loneliness. [21:31] Later on, he also says... [21:33] I have no inclination of where they are right now. I have no idea where they went. And something that stuck out to me and to statement analysis was that

[21:42] no one really says they don't have an idea and they're still being truthful. [21:46] I can say I have no idea what I'm making for dinner, but in the back of my mind I'm like, well, I have chicken in the fridge, I have asparagus in the fridge. I have some idea of what I'm making for dinner, right? Sure. [21:57] Basically, the tactic that Chris is unwittingly exposing right now, I have no idea, is very drastic. He probably has some idea. And in this case, he knows the actual truth. [22:10] Hmm. [22:10] He also uses the past tense. Did you notice that? At some point, I recall when they're talking about his girls and he's like asked to explain them. He talks about how they were supposed to start school. They were going to start school, which kind of. [22:25] presupposes that they aren't going to, right? Right, right. And then the last thing that statement analysis touches on, which... [22:32] was like echoing for me is when Watts said, I'm not sure if they're safe somewhere, just huddled up somewhere or if they're in trouble. Why does that stick out? He decides to lie. Yeah. He has the opportunity to say, [22:48] I'm not sure, and create some sort of [22:51] almost plausible deniability [22:53] But he flat out lies and says, I don't know. [22:55] when he knows because [22:59] he's the one who put them there. Well, I mean, that's like picking it apart. Obviously, this entire thing is a lie. And this analysis was written partially after... [23:09] his confession yeah and i mean his body language the whole time he's got his arms wrapped around himself he's very uncomfortable very defensive never good and during this interview police are still inside searching his home cadaver dogs and all but they're not just searching his home they noticed that in the early morning hours after shenan had arrived home chris could be seen on

[23:39] while he was out of it before he got back in and drove away. So police decide they need to know where Chris went that night. By using the GPS on his truck, they recreated the path that Chris took on August 13th, and it took them to Chris's work site, a large site owned by Anadarko Petroleum, where Chris was a field coordinator. It's not so strange that Chris drove to work, [24:09] they searched the site by foot by air with drones and it's with those drones that they spot something very familiar and do you want to guess what it was [24:21] Mm. [24:22] Just tell me. It was the bed sheet that matched the set found at the Watts home in the trash. The same set that had once been on their bed and investigators knew that they were on the right track. Just as they were finding this, thinking that they got their first real break, they bring Chris in for questioning. And that's when they would get another huge break in the case. A woman who came forward to police [24:52] saying she was Chris Watts' girlfriend. [24:58] I recently learned that after working out, performance and recovery come down to what's happening in your blood. Now, I pay a lot more attention to what's happening inside my body. And here's what most people overlook. Training gives your body the stimulus, but your internal environment determines what happens next. Thankfully, function can help you see exactly what's going on under the hood. Things like your glucose, whether your body is burning clean or running on fumes. Your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, which one is winning the inflammation battle. Your DHEAS, one of the building blocks your body uses to make testosterone.

[25:28] one of the first things to quietly decline. When these markers are off, you can do everything right and still feel like you're fighting against yourself. Check in on your health. Function provides over 160 labs for $1 per day and member pricing on MRI and CT scans. Join at functionhealth.com slash crimejunkie or use gift code crimejunkie25 for a $25 credit towards your membership. [25:48] A woman named Nicole Kessinger came forward to police and told them that she had been a co-workers of Chris and they had been dating all summer. She said that Chris told her about his family, but he said that he and Shanann were separated and he was living in the basement until they got a divorce. [26:07] As Chris is being interrogated by police, they're slowly uncovering the details of this affair with Nicole. [26:14] Though she would later tell the media that she barely knew Chris and the two had just started dating and taking things slow, her Internet search history and her text messages, which, by the way, she deleted before coming forward to police, would tell a totally different story. On July 24th, Nicole was doing Google searches for the phrase, quote, man I'm having an affair with says he will leave his wife. So search number one. [26:44] is searching the internet for over two hours for wedding dresses. [26:49] And on August 8th, she's searching Google for topics related to marrying your mistress. [26:54] After the murders, which we think happened on August 13th, there were hours worth of searches on her computer for Shanann's name and, quote, can cops trace text messages? Oh, I never found out exactly what those text messages on her phone were that she deleted. Clearly, they probably were able to recover them.

[27:16] I don't think this was any kind of like... [27:18] conspiracy. I don't think she was a co-conspirator, but I think she was trying to hide how obsessive and involved she actually was with Chris Watts. Because... [27:27] I mean, I would assume the public would then kind of hold you slightly responsible, even though she's not. Yeah, let's look at Amber Frye from the Lacey Peterson case. She was kind of crucified. Okay, so here's kind of a strange thing that I wasn't going to originally talk about, but since you brought it up, I will. [27:44] Later on, on her search history, they found out that she was, like, Googling Amber Frye. She was Googling what kind of book deal Amber Frye got. Oh, my God. Yeah, like, first it was, like, the searches were, like, did people hate Amber Frye? [27:57] She's like, okay, fine, check it out. But then to like see how or if Amber Fry profited off of a family being murdered just felt really gross. Yeah. So even if police, like they never got the text messages, I assume they did. We don't know what they say. They didn't need the text messages. They had Chris's own handwriting. And in a July 3rd card for her birthday, Chris wrote to her, quote, big things will happen this year. [28:27] come true. That smile, that stare, that laugh, that giggle gets me every time. You are truly an amazing, inspirational, and electric woman that takes my breath away every time I see you. You are wonderful. Don't ever stop being you. And in another note that same month, but on the 30th, Chris handwrites to her, Nikki,

[28:50] Wow, where do I even start? The first day I saw you, you took my breath away. The first day I had the guts to talk to you, I got lost in those stunning eyes. The first day we hung out in the park together, I knew I was addicted. The first time we kissed, I knew I had met the most amazing, unique, and electric woman ever. [29:20] want to love want to love want to love you like that [29:23] love Chris and [29:26] As he's being interviewed by police, he can't deny the strain in his marriage, and he didn't deny it. [29:34] Back at Chris's work site, though, the search was concentrated around that bed sheet, and it didn't take long before searchers found what they were looking for. Shanann, Bella, and Cece. [29:47] Bella and Cece had been dumped in oil tanks. [29:52] And this is where the story just gets like so rough for me is talking about his little girl's [29:56] Their bodies were placed through this hatch. [30:00] that was only eight inches in diameter. So... [30:05] Bella, who was the older of the two, had scratches all over her body from being shoved through that hatch. And she even had this tuft of hair that had been ripped from her head as he shoved her in there. And Shanann was found further away from the oil tank, buried in a shallow grave. And I assume it's because, like, to get to an oil tank, you have to, like, carry somebody to put them in this hatch.

[30:35] like 130 pounds. [30:37] Shanann had been strangled with almost no signs of a struggle, just finger-shaped bruises around her neck. And I have to believe that she was either sleeping or unconscious somehow when she was attacked, because it takes two to four minutes for manual strangulation to kill a person, and I cannot believe that she wouldn't have fought back. Okay. [31:01] And for the little girls... [31:04] The girls had been smothered. [31:07] by their killer's bare hands. And Cece, like her mom, looked as though she put up no fight at all. But Bella, on the other hand, apparently had signs that she had tried to fight for her life. And at this point, there's no question in police's mind, no question about who wrapped their hands around Shanann's neck for four minutes. [31:37] down two little girls, just four and three to smother them. [31:41] It was their own father... [31:43] Their father who was supposed to protect them. Their father who was supposed to love them. And the father that Bella sang was so proud. My daddy's a hero. He helped me grow up strong. He helped me snuggle too. He reads me books. He ties my shoes.

[32:13] My daddy, daddy, I love you. [32:21] I can't like I'm like especially as someone who's saying some something like that to her dad. [32:32] I can't imagine. [32:36] And this is where I like I posted on our Facebook like I am getting very emotional now. This I this is the first time I've ever written a script and was like crying while I was writing it. [32:46] And it's, this is what absolutely just like rips my guts out and makes this case so hard to talk about. And again, no worse than any other language. [32:56] like family killer that we've ever talked about. But there, there is something gut wrenching about feeling like you've seen these kids and you know, these kids and you know, we always assume that, that these girls think of their dads as their hero, but like hearing her say it and thinking about these two little girls, Bella, especially, especially, [33:15] fighting for her life, probably so confused and so scared that her hero was smothering her. Oh, my God. So at 1102 that night. [33:27] approximately 69 hours after his wife returned home. [33:34] Oh. [33:35] And shortly thereafter was strangled. Chris said, [33:38] was arrested on suspicion of murdering his entire family. [33:42] After his arrest, Chris asked to speak with his dad and he said, "Only after I speak with him will I tell you the truth."

[33:50] So police allow this. [33:53] obviously recording the entire thing. [33:55] you [33:56] And what they heard, what he said... [34:01] was shocking [34:02] and disgusting. I don't want to protect her. What? I don't want to protect her. You don't want to protect her? I don't know what else to say. She hurt him? Yeah. And then I feel like I don't know her. You're her. [34:32] but they leave after that so she's already started her begins [34:46] It's a little hard to hear, but the story Chris tells his dad and then later tells police is that when Shanann got home that night, he told her he wanted to separate and she was very upset. [35:15] blue and when he toggled to the next room he saw shenan smothering their other daughter he said by the time he got to the room

[35:23] His daughter was dead and he, quote, "freaked out and killed Shanann." [35:28] Uh, isn't this exactly the same story Chris Longo had? I know. It is right out of the same playbook. Please tell me. No one in the world believed him, right? Uh, his parents actually believed him, but police didn't. [35:46] And to me, this is like... [35:48] Even more of a sick act. It's not enough that you kill all three of them, but then you have to take one more jab and disparage the wife that you already murdered by saying she was the one who killed your children. Chris stuck to his story for a long time until early November, when to avoid the death penalty, Chris pled guilty to killing his two daughters and his wife and their unborn son who Shanann planned to name Nico. [36:18] I recently learned that after working out, performance and recovery come down to what's happening in your blood. Now, I pay a lot more attention to what's happening inside my body. And here's what most people overlook. Training gives your body the stimulus, but your internal environment determines what happens next. Thankfully, function can help you see exactly what's going on under the hood. Things like your glucose, whether your body is burning clean or running on fumes. Your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, which one is winning the inflammation battle. [36:48] and one of the first things to quietly decline. When these markers are off, you can do everything right and still feel like you're fighting against yourself. Check in on your health. Function provides over 160 labs for $1 per day and member pricing on MRI and CT scans. Join at functionhealth.com slash crimejunkie or use gift code crimejunkie25 for a $25 credit toward your membership.

[37:08] Now Chris is living out his days in a Wisconsin prison where he is now getting love letters from women. [37:16] And this is what I can't believe, but women are writing him saying, I want to get to know you. One of them said, literally, you're on my mind almost every single day since you were in the news. And people are like sending him pictures of themselves. It's. [37:32] absolutely disgusting. I don't know [37:36] Clearly these women aren't right in the head either. [37:39] But he's he's living in Wisconsin. He's in prison. He will be in prison for the rest of his life without parole. And I hate Chris and I now hate all these women writing to him. But you know what I kept dwelling on a little bit in this case is. [37:53] the psychology of a family annihilator. I know we've said this in every one of the cases like this, like we just don't understand, but I don't get it. How does Chris, a guy with no history of violence, a guy who from all outward appearances was a good dad. How does this guy just wake up one day and kill his wife and kids and then go to work like nothing freaking happened? So what's [38:20] I didn't want to just think about it. I started to dig to see if I could find any kind of studies that have been done on these kinds of people, on family annihilators. These aren't serial killers. They're not spree killers. And really, we say, you know, they just snapped one day. But snapping isn't even really the right term for them because...

[38:40] No one really knows these people or their motivations or what happens in their mind because they don't snap and then they're snapped forever. It's almost as if they just do this thing and they can act like it never happened. [38:54] I scoured so many sites and journals and articles and across the entire web, I found one, one scholarly article done together. [39:08] in the UK back in 2013 and that was it. That's it? But what they found was actually really interesting. They used newspaper archives from 1980 to 2012 to try and identify characteristics of these killers and here's what they found. Family annihilators are dominantly male and [39:31] Of the 71 cases that they found, 59 were male. Most of them tend to be in their 30s. Most of them are employed with good jobs. And the cause of the act is most commonly attributed to a family breakup or some kind of financial strain. And the strangest tidbit of all is... [39:49] is that August is found to be the most common month in which the killers kill their families. [39:56] So, [39:57] All of this fits the Watts case. [39:59] Even the month that it happened? I know. I was shocked at how accurate the study was. The only thing that didn't fall into the norm for Chris is that they said that 81% of family annihilators attempt suicide and he did not.

[40:14] Much like Chris Longo, Chris Watts wanted to get rid of his family so he could just start a new life. So this study basically was able to break down family annihilators into four types of categories. The first is the self-righteous killer. And according to this article, they said, quote, the killer seeks to locate blame for his crimes upon the mother who he holds responsible for the breakdown of their family. [40:44] murder to explain what he's about to do. For these men, their breadwinner status is central to their idea of an ideal family. So I don't think he falls into that category. [40:54] The second one is disappointed. End quote. This killer believes his family has let him down or has acted in a way to undermine or destroy his vision of ideal family. An example may be a disappointment that children are not following the traditional religious or cultural customs of the father. End quote. [41:13] Again, this doesn't 100% fit for me. No. The third type of family annihilators is anomic. In these cases, the family has become firmly linked in the mind of the killer to the economy. The father sees family as the result of his economic success, allowing him to display his achievements. [41:34] However, if the father becomes an economic failure, he sees the family as no longer serving this function. [41:42] And to me, this feels like kind of the closest option because the fourth is paranoid. And this article says, quote, those who perceive an external threat to the family. This is often social services.

[41:54] or the legal system, which their father fears will side against him and take away his children. Here, the murder is motivated by a twisted desire to protect his family. So really, I think he falls mostly in that third one. But this also, the study didn't really account for those things. [42:11] who were starting over because of a mistress or with a mistress in mind, which I think we've seen at least... [42:20] one of maybe two or three of in our family annihilator cases. Yeah. And again, this study was done in the UK. So I don't know if there's like cultural differences, but, [42:31] Or I mean, at the end of the day, people are people. Clearly, it had a lot of relevant information because a lot of that applied to Chris Watts. So calling all crime junkies who are criminal justice and psychology majors, I think this is an area of research that needs so much more attention. It would be amazing if we could look at. [42:54] new ways to kind of pick out these people. Again, what makes you the kind of person who can raise your daughters to be three and four and love them and care for them and have them love you so much that they sing songs about you being their hero and then one day wake up and smother them and not even think twice about it. Maybe with more research, there could be signs that we can actually look for. And maybe if we would have known more, if Shanann would have known

[43:24] maybe she would still be here [43:27] And with that, I want to leave you with some wise words from Shanann herself. [43:33] We're not promised tomorrow, you know, we're not promised anything, but... [43:39] to be able to enjoy our children and [43:44] Thank you. [43:44] Every crazy moment, it can be super crazy. I'm not gonna lie, my kids are [43:50] are crazy, but I love them. [43:54] thank you guys again for tuning in i hope you all despite this episode have a wonderful christmas but i hope you'll take the story and spend time with your family and love on your family and we are actually going to be taking next week off to spend time with our family it's been an entire [44:24] You know, 52 weeks. I think we've put out 58 episodes. So we're going to take one week off. But for you junkies who need an extra fix, if you are on our Patreon, we are going to have a midweek episode next week coming out. Where Britt and I discuss the one case we cannot agree on. It's so good, you guys. So good. Britt puts on her tinfoil hat. She gets a little conspiratorial. I think she's crazy. Do you want to tell them what we're talking about?

[44:54] Simpson and the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. It's over an hour long episode. I think you guys are really gonna like it. And if you really miss us next week, don't forget we're taking the week off. Not only spend time with families, but to spend time with you. I am going to be hosting our Crime Junkie New Year's Eve party at Two Deep Brewing in downtown Indianapolis. I think last time I looked, there were literally like 15 tickets left. You can find tickets on our [45:24] or in our Instagram bio. Our handle is at Crime Junkie Podcast. I hope to see you all there. But if not, we will be back in 2019 with a brand new episode. And if you need a little pick-me-up after probably the worst case of the year, stay tuned for a Puppet of the Month. [45:56] This episode of Crime Junkie was researched, written, and hosted by me with co-hosting by Britt Prewatt. All of our editing and sound production was done by David Flowers. And all of our music, including our theme, comes from Justin Daniel. Crime Junkie is an audio Chuck production. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve? [46:19] Okay, Brett, I need...

[46:37] like the best prepped story you have. That episode is so rough for me. No, it was very, very rough. And I actually picked this prepped... [46:45] with you in mind. [46:46] Is his name Charlie? So I scroll through all of our submissions and look at all the cute names and all the cute stories, and I settled on this puppet. [46:56] whose name is P-I-P-P-O. Can you tell me what that is? Pippo? [47:01] like pippo oh stop it would you like to tell the people who pippo is yeah i don't even yeah so i think i had this like book maybe where pippo was a hippo i think but i had this when i was like one years old i have this purple hippo who i named pippo and he's made out of like parachute material let's be clear okay and i'm glad that thank you for keep calling him a he because in my mind pippo was always a he but he is clearly he's wearing a skirt he is clearly wearing a [47:31] with a flower in his hair but i like people's always been a boy and to my to me too i don't know yeah right okay it wasn't just me i that is crazy to me because i don't know why i never named charlie pippo i love that name best name ever and i'm like already have like all the good childhood like full body chills okay so i emailed pippo's [47:54] mom stephanie and was kind of disappointed because they pronounce it peepo um i'm gonna call him peepo still okay um but there's a really great story behind it and that's what i'm gonna tell you okay okay

[48:09] Okay, so in 2009, Stephanie's family had two members of their family pass away, as well as their family puppet. Oh my god. All of this in like three months. I can't, Brooke. So obviously, this absolutely turned their family on its head. You know, nothing's making sense. It was her grandfather, it was her aunt, and then the family puppet. It was a really traumatic experience for their family to go through. [48:39] you [48:39] And the following year, Stephanie made the executive decision that they needed a dog. [48:46] My computer just started playing Law & Order. [48:49] I mean, same. I'm not even, like, opposed to, like, keeping this in. It's kind of funny. It's nowhere. It's... [48:56] Literally, I don't know what's going on. [48:59] Wait, hang on. [49:02] I'm sorry. Okay, go. I'm so sorry, Pipo. I'm so sorry, everyone. I just started playing Lawn or SVU, which is like... [49:08] You know, a great show, but not for Puppet of the Months. [49:11] Okay. Okay. So like I said, Stephanie was going to go down to the local shelter and she was going to adopt a dog because they needed cheering up and that's what a dog would do. [49:21] I mean, that's accurate. That's not wrong. Oh, no, totally. And so she says that they... [49:26] meet a dog and they specifically wanted one that they're that stephanie's grandmother liked because she had just lost not only her husband but her daughter as well and they meet this dog and they like him but there wasn't this like connection you know i mean not really because any dog i lock eyes with i feel like we've made a connection okay but like i'm not sure

[49:51] *sniff* [49:52] Niles with me versus Niles with you. Okay, fair, fair, fair. Okay, or Charlie with me and Charles with you. Charlie with me and Charlie with anyone else who isn't me. Exactly. That's what I like to believe. So they weren't really feeling like that, like, moment with this dog. [50:07] And... [50:08] Stephanie's like, can you bring out another one? And she specifically wanted a black and white dog. So they bring out this little black and white pointer puppy. And... [50:19] Everyone instantly bonded with him. Aww. [50:23] And she said that when they brought him home, it felt like they finally had some fresh air in their home. Oh, of course it did. It was just this huge weight off of everybody's shoulders. It just alleviated so much of the pain and the grief that they had been feeling for so long. [50:42] Stephanie points out that this didn't make all the hurt go away. This didn't fix everything. But it did bring them something that they had been missing. And that was a sense of joy and hopefulness. And because they specifically got the dog for Stephanie's grandmother, they gave her the honor of naming it. And Stephanie's grandmother is probably like the most amazing, sweet, little old Italian woman. [51:12] and Pippo. And Pippo it is! Love it. I'm again still calling it Pippo but love the name. And something that Stephanie says is very unique to Pippo and

[51:25] Probably what makes him the best fit for their family, specifically for what they were going through when they adopted him, is [51:32] Peebo is really dumb, but not in a bad way. In a goofy, silly, doesn't-really-care way. He's a pointer, so he's not a small dog, but he'll lumber up on you and sit on you. And... [51:50] he just loves without condition and [51:54] I love, I like, I just love the story because people just seems like such a happy-go-lucky pup. And he's just oozing love. And of course, like my favorite is like the ending statements that profit owners give me when I ask them about their profit. And this is a quote from Stephanie. Stephanie. [52:13] Thank you. [52:13] Pippo is a reminder that joy is simple and love at its core is the easiest thing in the world we can do. He was exactly what our family needed. [52:24] acting as a guiding light that let us out of a really dark time. [52:28] even though he had no clue which way he was going. That's fair. So I'm going to put Pippo and his story up on the blog. I absolutely love him. I love this story. Can we also put a picture of Pippo on the blog, our male hippo wearing a skirt and a flower? Send me a picture of Pippo, and I will put Pippo and Pippo up on the blog in December's Propit of the Month. [52:54] You guys, we don't deserve dogs. They make life so much better.

[52:58] because I'm already feeling better. After that horrible episode, I feel better. [53:02] Not 100%, but I'm going to go kiss Charlie's nose. I'm going to boop his little nose. And I think it's going to help. And you guys have a great holiday. Yeah, you guys have. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas. Happy New Year. See you in 2019. See you next year, you guys. [53:19] Okay, crime junkies, you know I absolutely love a twist and a turn, especially when it comes to people who turn out to be someone they're not. That's why I have been obsessed with the podcast Chameleon. Every Thursday, host Josh Dean deep dives into a scam so bizarre, it will leave you wondering, how did they get away with that? [53:38] It is truly one of my favorite podcasts right now, and I've been listening for years. [53:42] I think you'll love it too. [53:43] Listen to Chameleon wherever you get your podcasts.